How to find Marcus Rashford’s free school meals venues on Google Maps

Footballer Marcus Rashford’s commendable campaign to ensure children receiving free school meals continue to do so during half-term is making headlines around the UK.

In lieu of the Government’s refusal to provide additional support, cafes and restaurants around the country are answering the Manchester United star’s call to help prevent kids going hungry during the October break.

While Rashford has been active on social media, by sharing those eateries providing free meals during half-term, a Google Maps user has now made it easier to locate them online.

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Joe Freeman has created an interactive #AllKidsMatter Google Maps page, where each of the supporting UK venues are represented on a live map. Users can simply click on the indicators to see the pledge, a link to Rashford’s tweet and the opportunity to summon directions.

Freeman told the BBC: “I was eating my lunch, reading Marcus Rashford’s tweets and thinking, ‘This is amazing, wouldn’t it be great if we could see them all in one place.’ “It was easy to do – I started off just by searching by each restaurant and the place they were from.”

Freeman said he’s now looking to create a website where individual eateries will be able to fill in an online form to be included within the map. He’s also created a way for the information to be automatically lifted from the England striker’s Twitter feed, where Rashford has been dutifully sharing participating venues.

Rashford was recently awarded an MBE for his campaign to ensure children continued to receive meals during the school lockdown, but that hasn’t bought his silence. He has continued to push for change amid MPs’ decision to reject a proposals to continue providing free school meals during half-term. McDonald’s in the UK has also pledged a million meals during half-term. When McDonald’s is making you look bad on the subject of children’s health, it might be time for a rethink, Mr. Johnson.